


Last Night

by Daidairo



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance, aaaaand some angst I guess, from a prompt on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 08:52:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17577740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daidairo/pseuds/Daidairo
Summary: “He is hereby sentenced to exile at Prison Alcatra for a period of twenty years.”





	Last Night

_“…This court finds the accused, Yuri Lowell, guilty of…”_

_“…in light of the services he has performed for the Empire…”_

_“…He is hereby sentenced to exile at Prison Alcatra for a period of twenty years…”_

Zaphias was quiet on this last night. Through the tiny window near the ceiling, a small breeze came flitting through.

Yuri sat leaning against the grey brick wall. Unlike the messy, damp cells he had inhabited in the past, the place was clean and almost spacious. The floor was smooth, the walls dry, and instead of a pile of mouldy straw, he had a small bed with fresh-smelling sheets.

It was a clear reflection of the new order the Empire had brought about, thanks to Flynn and Ioder. At last, the poisonous corruption that had plagued Terca Lumireis for years had been cleansed from its government. No longer would the common folk suffer simply because they weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths. And with Applehead at the top of Aspio destroying any attempt to monopolise the market of mana-powered blastia, the future never looked brighter.

So there was no reason why he would feel so suffocated in his ‘high-quality prison cell’.

But he did.

A light fell on the corridor outside the door, and the sound of footsteps approached. Yuri looked up as Leblanc approached with a hooded figure.

Of course.

“Fifteen minutes, my lady. No more,” Leblanc said, unlocking the door. It swung open, and the visitor slipped in.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Leblanc nodded, closed the door, placed the torch he carried in a bracket on the wall, and retreated up the stairs.

For a moment, they remained silent, staring at each other.

“Pretty sure it’s against the rules for you to be here,” Yuri said finally.

“I don’t care,” Estelle replied, kneeling down beside him. Yuri smirked.

“The princess herself willingly breaking rules? Seems like we’ve been a really bad influence on you.”

“Yuri… don’t,” Estelle whispered. She gripped the fabric of her cloak between her shaking hands. “It’s… it’s not fair.”

“You know it’s got to happen. It wouldn’t be fair if I got away with killing Cumore and Ra—“

“It’s not fair!! You were just trying to protect everyone else!” Estelle cried. “You saved everyone when the council and the Knights couldn’t. You saved everyone when Duke tried to use us against the Adephagos. You saved…”

She choked, unable to go on. Yuri sighed.

“It doesn’t matter what I did later. I killed them, because I thought they didn’t deserve to live. That’s not the act of an innocent man,” he said quietly. “But I knew that from the moment I raised my sword. I made that choice, because I couldn’t think of any other way. Now, I have to face the consequences.”

“But Ioder and I pardoned your crimes—“ Estelle argued.

“And now the law’s changed, so that it’s impossible for a noble to just wave their hand and pardon a criminal. This is what true justice is about, Estelle. Justice, for everyone living in Terca Lumireis. For those who have suffered under the nobles. And for the nobles who were murdered under a single person’s judgement.”  
At the sound of her name, Estelle had fallen silent. Tears streamed down her cheeks, lit by the faint glow from the torch burning outside.

“Flynn said… That this was your way of making sure that no one else out there would attempt to break the laws in the name of summary justice. That you’re still trying to protect everyone from your decisions,” she whispered.

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Flynn always thinks he knows it all. I’m not that much of a hero.”

“That’s not true!” Estelle took his hand between hers and squeezed it. “You’re a good man, Yuri. A wonderful man. I… I’m so happy… to have met you.”

The touch of her fingers warmed his hand. He hadn’t even realised he was cold until then. Staring into her green eyes, bright with tears, Yuri swallowed. He thought he was reconciled to the fate he had always known was waiting for him. But somehow… his heart was hurting a lot more than he thought it would.

“I’ll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I’ll be here waiting for you,” she said. Yuri gave her a crooked smile.

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s only twenty years,” he said.

Twenty years without the company of his guild. His family from the Lower Quarter. His friends.

Her.

He reached out and cradled her cheek, wiping her tears away with one callused thumb.

“If this is the last time I see you, know that I love you more than anything.”

Estelle’s eyes widened. But before she could say anything, Leblanc came crashing down the steps.

“My lady, it’s time. You must go,” he hissed, pulling Estelle to her feet.

“No—wait! I… Yuri…!”

“See you, Estelle. Take care of Repede for me.”

The door slammed shut, the clang of metal echoing around the prison. Taking down the torch he had brought earlier, Leblanc nodded at him. Yuri raised one shackled hand to him in mock salute, the clink of his chains a cold reminder of the weight upon his hands.

He watched as they disappeared up the stairs, until the light faded and darkness surrounded him once more.  

**Author's Note:**

> Much as I love Vesperia, it had many writing faults, one of which was the fact that Yuri never had to face the consequences of his actions. I won’t go into details here, but I’d like to think that at the end of everything, when Yuri no longer feels like he needs to stay a vigilante because Flynn has everything in order, he would turn himself in. Ioder would argue that his crimes have been pardoned, but Yuri knows that him saving the world doesn’t change the fact that he had committed murder twice under nothing but his own judgment. Flynn understands, but suggests that, since Yuri’s intentions were good, have him sent into exile somewhere for a period of time instead of being executed. 
> 
> As he leaves, Karol promises him that Brave Vesperia will always have a place for him. Rita calls him a fool. Raven tells him he’ll look after everyone else in his absence. Judy jokes that she’ll miss him (and he knows that underneath her teasing words, she means it). Patty says she's proud of the man worthy of being her future husband. Flynn doesn’t say anything more, except “Take care.” Estelle, however, can’t stop crying, even as she waves him off with a smile.


End file.
